Musical educational device or apparatus



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J. KUSTODOWICH EI'AL musicAL EDUCATIONAL DEVICE on APPARATUS Filed July 21, 1941 fill-r4 rEEIIli-E Sept. 15, 1942.

aomuusrooowncn HERBERTERENBERG M ATTORNEYS 1 l-i-l-lqnl-li :Eusl

Sept. 15, 1942. J. KUSTODOWICH HAL 2 5 IusIcAL EDUCATIONAL DEVICE 0R APPARATUS Filed July 21, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 JOHN KUSTODOWIGH BY HERBERT ERENB R6 ,1 Mm W W ATTO EYS Patented Sept. 15, 1942 UNITED stares PATENT OFFICE-Q1 IHUSICAL EDUCATIONAL DEVICE R APPARATUS J olin Ku'st'od'owich and Herbert Ercnberg, Detroit, Mich.

Application July 21, 1941, Serial No. 403,426

4 Claims.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a device of this type by means of which scales, melodies or other musical interpretations may be produced together with the appropriate key signatures, time or meter signatures, and all other signs and symbols requisite to a complete scale, melody or other musical interpretation.

Another object of this invention is to provide a device of the character referred to, which, while sufliciently comprehensive to enable the quick and easy formation of any desired musical interpretation, is of simple construction permitting facile operation and economical manufacture.

In accordance with our invention, we provide a board or panel upon which the staff lines are printed or otherwise inscribed, together with transversely extending wires or cords, by means of which the notes and other musical symbols may be positioned with reference to the staff. Also associated with the board or panel are charts or slidable elements containing the key signatures, that is, the treble and base clefs with both sharps and flats, so arranged that the proper or desired key signature may be exposed to view at the end of the staff to complete the reproduction of the intended musical interpretation. The notes and other musical symbols are cut out from any suitable material and the symbol holding wires or cords are arranged to facilitate the insertion of the symbols between the face of the panel and the wires whereupon they may be properly positioned with reference to the staif.

Various other objects and many advantages of this invention will become more apparent as this description proceeds, especially when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is an elevational view of a device constructed in accordance with our invention, illustrating the position of the parts when the major scale of the key of E is reproduced;

Figure 2 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken substantially on the plane indicated by the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal View taken substantially on the plane indicated by the line 33 of Figure 1;

Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7 are elevational views of the key signature charts, and

Figure 8 is an elevational view of a group of representative notes and other musical symbols used in connection with the invention.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters represent like parts in the several views, the reference character [0 indicates a board or panel which may be of any desired or preferred material. Printed or otherwise inscribed on the panel I0 is a musical staff II. The panel It and consequently the staff H may be of any desired length, and if desired the panel Hl may be of such a width that it would accommodate more than one staff ll. Apertures' or the like 12 may be provided whereby the panel can be hung upon a support such area wall or the like.

Secured to the rear face of the panel In and extending longitudinally thereof is a pair of guides I3 for slidably receiving one or more key signature charts It. In the form of the invention illustrated we have provided four of such charts containing respectively the treble clef in sharps and in fiatsand the base clef in sharps and in flats as illustrated respectively in Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7. As shown, each slide is provided with an index or thumb piece l5 normally projecting beyond theleft hand edge of the panel it, as viewed in Figure 1, so that the proper chart may be slid from behind the panel to expose the desired key' signature designation.

While we have shown four of these slides l'4,'

nevertheless only two need be employed and in such event key signatures would be inscribed on both sides of the slidable'chart and the chart would be withdrawn from the guides l3 andreversed when it is desirable to display the key signature on the reverse side.

In Figure 8 We have illustrated several representative notes and other musical symbols which are usable in setting up or depicting scales or other arrangements of musical notes and symbols with our device. These notes and other musical symbols would preferably be cut from sheets of cellulosic material, cardboard, or any other desired material having sufiicient rigidity to be form sustaining so that the said notes and symbols could be easily handled. As shown in Figure 8, there is illustrated a whole note, a half note, a quarter note, a pennant by which the value of the quarter notes are altered, an eighth rest, a sixteenth rest, a natural symbol, a sharp, a flat, and several numerals by means of which the time or meter signature is indicated. Obviously these notes and other symbols are merely representative, and We propose providing a sufficient number of notes and other symbols so that any type of musical arrangement or interpretation can be produced.

The notes or other symbols are retained in place on the panel by means of retaining wires or cords i6 extending tautly transversely across the front face of the panel I f] and engaging the panel throughout the greater portion of their length. The wires or retaining means i6 are spaced slightly from the face of the panel l3 adjacent one edge thereof by means of a spacer or bridge l1. This provides a space 18 between the retaining wires and the face of the panel which permits the notes or other symbols S to be inserted between the wires and the panel face prior to the time they are moved into proper position with respect to the staff I l.

The retaining means or wires 16 are preferably formed from a single length of wire which in anchored to the rear face of the panel In as at l9 and then wound around the panel as illustrated, its other end being anchored to the rear of the panel as at 2'3. The flights of wire at the front of the panel H! are held in spaced parallel relation by engagement with opposed slots or notches 23 arranged in the opposed longitudinal edges of the panel. Obviously the retaining means l6 may be connected to the panel ID in any other desired or preferred manner.

In using this device for teaching music, the desired key signature can be indicated by properly adjusting one of the key signature charts 14. A key signature having any number of sharps or flats in the treble or base clef may be provided by properly adjusting one of the slides M, as will be obvious. Thereafter the proper notes or other musical symbols are positioned on the staff II to illustrate a scale or any other desired musical arrangement. As stated, a supply of musical symbols S, including notes and all other musical sym-- bols, will be provided and these can be readily and properly arranged on the staff by inserting the same under the retaining wire 16 at the spaces i8, and then sliding the musical symbols to their proper position. The device has been found to be particularly useful in teaching the various scales and in instructing classes in both vocal and instrumental music, While the retaining means l6 are suificiently taut to hold the musical symbols in the positions in which they are placed, the musical symbols may be shifted while still under the retaining means so that any desired arrangement of the notes and symbols may be made. The device is invaluable in teaching transposing inasmuch as a student can be made to readily appreciate the interval of change from one key to another.

As was mentioned hereinbefore, the panel It! may be made of any desired length and may be of sufficient size to permit the formation of a melody thereon. As was stated, the panel may be of sufficient width to include several staffs thereon so that comparisons might be made between different scales or melodies or other musical arrangements in different keys. Obviously if more than one staff is provided, additional key signature charts would also be provided.

What we claim as our invention is:

1. In a device of the class described, a panel provided on one surface thereof with a staff, wires stretched across said surface of said panel, loose musical symbols movably mounted on said panel between the surface aforesaid and said wires and shiftable to various selected positions relative to said staff, and means on said panel for spacing said Wires from a portion of said surface so that said symbols may be readily inserted between said surface and wires or withdrawn therefrom.

2. A device of the class described comprising a panel provided on one surface thereof with a staff, a single flexible element wrapped around said panel and having portions disposed in substantially parallel relation to each other across said staff, and loose musical symbols movably mounted between said surface and parallel portions of the flexible element and shiftable to various selected positions relative to said staff.

3. A device of the class described having a panel provided upon one surface thereof with staff lines, a series of substantially parallel flexible bands crossing the staff lines and secured to said panel, and a plurality of loose musical symbols movably mounted between the surface aforesaid of the panel and said bands.

4. A device of the class described in which an elongated panel is provided upon the front face thereof with longitudinally extending staff lines and is provided upon the rear face thereof with one or more key signature charts mounted to slide endwise from one end of the panel; a series of substantially parallel flexible bands crossing the staff lines and secured to said panel, and a plurality of loose musical symbols movably mounted between the front face aforesaid of the panel and said bands.

JOHN KUSTODOWICH. HERBERT ERENBERG. 

